Porsche Confirms the New 991 GT3 RS, but Comes with the PDK Gearbox Instead?

With the meaner 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 taking the stage at the recent Geneva Motor Show, we have been hearing a lot of “disapproving voices” towards Porsche’s move in fitting it with a dual-clutch PDK gearbox instead of a traditional stick-shifter that we see on previous GT3s. But the hardcore Porsche fans persevered in thinking that the Stuttgart sports car maker might be keeping the best for the last, and the RS will truly be a car by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts; and they were never so wrong.

Andreas Preuninger, Porsche’s head of GT series production told Car Magazine that a new RS model will be launched “three-quarters of the year” after the GT3, and this goes the same for the 991 GT3 RS. It will then be followed by the 911 Turbo a few months after, and the much-anticipated 918 Spyder later at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. While this bit of news already sounds intriguing, he then drops the bombshell by announcing that the new RS will also be fitted with the dual-clutch PDK gearbox, like the one found in the recently revealed GT3.

According to him, Porsche opts for the PDK instead of the traditional manual for the RS as it “offers more involvement than the manual option”. The engineer however admitted that the transmission might be tuned for quicker shifts. He also added that the RS will also be fitted with electric steering, which he claims to be as good as the one on the GT3 RS 4.0.

Since the new GT3 was built with increased usability as a daily driver compared to the previous model, the RS will have more room in becoming an extreme machine. It will be fitted with a larger wing than the 997-gen model and might be receiving some aerodynamic tweaks on the front. Aluminum doors and a titanium exhaust system are just among the few in keeping the weight down for the new RS. Power-wise, the 3.8-liter flat-six for the RS is hinted to match the power delivered by the former GT3 RS 4.0, which puts it close to 500-horsepower.